


Joel's Guide to Making Friends

by ashley_in_the_know



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Friendship, GTA AU, Gen, awkward Joel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 18:04:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7855462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashley_in_the_know/pseuds/ashley_in_the_know
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt: platonic hug, Ashley & Joel</p>
            </blockquote>





	Joel's Guide to Making Friends

He doesn’t have many friends.

It’s his own fault, he knows. He’s obsessive and weird and talks too much, and he does really dumb shit sometimes. He knows that the only reason he’s even a Rooster is because Matt insisted.

_“What the fuck is he even doing here, Matt? He’s a goddamned lunatic!”  
_

_A sigh. “Give him a shot, Burns. He’s a genius; the best money guy around, I swear.”_

_Another sigh. “Alright, fine. Just promise me that I’m not making a mistake here.”_

_“I promise.”_

Joel’s done his best to help Matt keep that promise. Gus still barely gives him the time of day, but Burnie and Geoff have warmed up to him. He thinks.

But to the rest of the crew, he’s just the money guy. The weird, kind of creepy money guy who rambles about anything and everything. He’s the guy everyone tries to avoid sitting next to, the one they all grumble about “getting stuck” in a conversation with.

There are a few exceptions. His assistant Adam, who voluntarily lives and works with him, and is the closest thing to a best friend Joel has. Geoff’s right-hand woman, Jack, who delights in riling him up, but is never an asshole about it. Some of the crew have pets. He likes pets.

Ashley walks into his office, and she’s another exception. They work together a lot; her hacking and his banking complementing each other. She goes out of her way to talk to him about things that aren’t work. Sometimes she’ll bring him food when he doesn’t leave his office for twelve hours. Plus, she smells nice, which is more than can be said for a lot of their colleagues.

“I got those account numbers you needed,” she says, setting the file on his desk. “And Burnie asked me to remind you that there’s a crew meeting in twenty minutes.”

He nods, mumbles something that resembles a thank you. He hears the click of her heels as she leaves, and he debates with himself for a moment before he stops her. “Uh, Ashley…”

She turns back to him, smiling. “Did you need something else?” she asks.

“Yeah, just um.” He stands and gives her the briefest of hugs. It’s a little awkward, he’s not great with physical contact, and when he lets go and steps back, she’s looking at him like he’s grown a second head. Which is how most people look at him anyway, but still.

“What was that for?” she asks, sounding confused but also a little like she’s trying not to laugh.

He shrugs, runs a hand through his hair. “Just for, you know, being my friend.”

“Oh.” She looks startled. “No problem? I guess.” There’s an awkward pause. “Was there anything else…”

“No,” he says. “Well…maybe don’t mention this to anyone?”

Ashley nods, makes a show of zipping her lips and locking them. She heads for the door, calls over her shoulder, “Don’t forget that meeting.”

He sets an alarm for five minutes after the meeting starts, grabs the file Ashley brought him, and goes back to work with a smile on his face.

He doesn’t have many friends, but the ones he does have aren’t so bad.


End file.
